Just because you struggle with liquid liner, doesn’t mean you have to completely steer clear of the product. Liquid liner can create bold, beautiful eye makeup that you can show off to all your stylish friends. However, applying liquid eyeliner is no easy task, even for seasoned makeup lovers. So, here are the best tips for using liquid liners.

Start with pencil liners: Always start with a pencil liner in order to achieve the desired shape of the eye makeup look you want. The waxy formula is more forgiving than its densely pigmented liquid counterpart and therefore easier to correct quickly. Using pencil liners also allows you to line right in between the lashes so you don’t leave any gaps between lash lines. Choose pencil liners that are on the drier side so the eye outline doesn’t get too messy and does still allow you to smudge the eye liner for a great look.

Use skinny Q-Tips: All women make mistakes, but knowing how to correct them is the key to the perfect eye makeup. Your best bet is to dip skinny Q-Tips into a makeup removal solution when in need of a quick painless removal. This method is like a magic eraser to help you quickly tweak the line without disrupting the rest of your makeup.

Stare straight: If you are attempting to create a dramatic cat eye line, always stare straight into the mirror. Then, use the angle of your bottom lashline as a guide as to where the feline flick of your line will go. Trace line with concealer: To really make the line pop, trace that outside line with a little bit of sheer concealer. The color you use should be slightly lighter than your actual skin tone. It will just help make the line look cleaner and more professional. Go for specific concealers that contain a small brush so you won’t need any additional tools. Also, select formulas that are so sheer that it won’t look obvious you are using concealer.

Resting the pen: The easiest trick to use when it comes to liquid liner is resting the pen against your top lashes. Then, you want to pull up slightly on your lid with the other hand to expose the bit of skin closest to the lash line and, working from the outside in, literally let the pen do the work for you. Most makeup professionals advise women to work from the outside in because the pen tends to deposit the most color where it is placed first. Then, the line is slightly thicker at the outside and tapers off closer in towards the eye’s inner corners.

Relax: The tools you use help immensely, but half of the battle when it comes to using liquid liner is conquering your nervousness. Try to think of something else that makes you calm. You don’t want to put all of your energy into attempting to create the perfect line, making it a bigger deal than it is and build the pressure. Keep calm, relax and draw a great eye line.